Part Four. The End Game. Chapter I. Twice Taken. 2. Shah Mat

Early-Mid June, 1548

Shah Mat is the Persian term from which 'checkmate' derives. It translates as "the king is helpless" (or broken or defeated). The implication for Lymond is dire, assuming he is the "shah" or king. 
An ebullient Agnes Herries and a sullen, monosyllabic Will Scott inform Sybilla of Lymond's escape from Threave.

Aside: Notice that Sybilla is more subdued ("less fantastic in her manner") than usual. I guess we have a clear idea where Lymond gets his dramatic streak.

Sybilla quickly removes Agnes from the scene so she can speak freely to Will. Why does she not want Agnes to overhear the conversation? Agnes was helpful to Lymond, and Sybilla, drawing her own conclusions about how the escape occurred, no doubt read between the lines of Agnes's story. However, Agnes is still very, very young and can be indiscreet. Sybilla cannot take a chance with her knowing the truth about Lymond's whereabouts. But Will already knows that Lymond was planning to go to Wark to meet Samuel Harvey, and Sybilla tries to shame him into going to look for her son and help him track down Harvey, if possible. Will is still conflicted about Lymond and unsure if he believes him and will help him.

He is not ambivalent about trying to fulfill his promise to Lymond to do whatever is necessary, including conjuring up Shamanism and the Black Mass, to cover for Christian Stewart and save her reputation. Unfortunately, she has gone not to Boghall but to George Douglas's home at Dalkeith, which has just been attacked by the English under Lord Grey. George, the sly fox, escaped but his family did not. Now that's interesting. George slips away but leaves his family behind? Perhaps he believes his life would be forfeit but they will be safe. Or perhaps he is more interested in self-preservation than protecting his kin. Either or both could be true of George Douglas.

In fact, there is a wonderful line from Patrick Fraser Tytler's History of Scotland (quoted in Laura Caine Ramsey's Guide) that says a great deal about friend George:

To be thus overreached and entrapped in his own devices was particularly mortifying to this long-practiced intriguer, and seems to have sunk deeper into his spirit than the loss of either his wife or his castle.

Will is surprised by the news of the English assault on Dalkeith because he thought Douglas and Grey were "on good terms." Sybilla's terse response--"Did you?"--speaks volumes about her opinion of Will Scott's perspicacity, and Will knows it because he is filled with dread (that "sinking feeling" one gets when one is about to be lectured for one's failings). He launches into what is at best a half-hearted self defense, for which Sybilla has no patience. The final insult to Will's injured pride is the fact that Christian, blind though she is and a "girl" at that, has risked not only her reputation but also possibly her life to try to help a man to whom she owes nothing, unlike Will Scott, who was trusted by Lymond and to whom we might believe he owes a great deal. "Not a very clever thing [for Christian] to do," says Sybilla, but brave and bold and true. The contrast with Will Scott's sniveling self justification is stark.

***

The wonderful short scene between Gideon and the indomitable Kate is pure Dunnett. Here we see a woman as sharp-witted as Christian and just as able to do battle with Lymond. She can hardly believe her husband has brought this creature who forced his way into their home and tormented their daughter back to Flaw Valleys. It is a measure of the trust Kate has in Gideon that she tolerates this intrusion. She knows he would not inflict this on her, much less on Philippa, without a very good reason.

And we get an excellent insight into Philippa's nature when Kate opines that her daughter has probably gotten out the horsewhip (chabouk) to start their unwanted visitor's punishment.

***

The Legacy

Kate promptly marches alone into Lymond's room, fully prepared for a frontal assault. What she finds shocks her out of her anger. It is extremely rare for us to see Lymond sleeping, especially a deep sleep. Given that he looks like a della Robbia angel when awake, it is easy to imagine how he looks in repose, and Kate finds that her maternal instincts not only awaken but swing into high gear when she sees the beatific face and the bloody, wounded body. 

The Legacy chair is another delightful Dunnett touch. It tells us something about the Somerville family that they kept this monstrosity, no doubt in part out of sentiment but probably more out of a fine sense of the absurd as a kind of familial touchstone and private joke. It certainly fits the moment of absurdity in which Kate finds herself.

Yes, Kate will tend to the broken man. Why not? That seems to be her destiny ("everybody always brings the old broken-down things for me to patch up"), and she knows full well that Gideon is operating on instinct just as she, too, must put aside reason and follow her instincts. This is not how she envisioned Lymond's imprisonment and punishment, but Kate appears quite capable of giving as good as she gets.

Kate and Lymond's exchange seems a promise of an irresistible relationship: two whip-sharp tongues outdoing one another. Lymond was aware someone had come into the room while he was sleeping but was not awake enough to be sure it was Kate. He has certainly lost nothing of his sense of humor and his acute awareness of his physical appeal, as evidenced by his response to Kate's remark that she already had a good look at him: "Why? Are you going to bathe me?" 

In fact, no one except Lymond himself is going to bathe or tend to him. He quickly outwits Gideon's manservant, locking him and everyone else, including the lady of the house, out of his chamber for the rest of the day. 

Lymond continues his malicious flirtation with Kate as she bangs on his door demanding entrance:

Through the thickness of the door his voice came, slow and flippant. "Mistress Somerville! The proprieties!" said Lymond...

Lymond is extremely self-sufficient and loathe to allow anyone to help him when sick or injured. Something to keep in mind.

***

Lord Grey is back at Berwick Castle on the English side of the border having secured Haddington and taken Dalkeith from George Douglas. The English not only made off with as many possessions from Dalkeith as they could manage to steal, they also secured a number of valuable hostages to ransom, including Christian Stewart. 

Unfortunately for the exhausted Lord Grey, Margaret Lennox is at Berwick demanding to see him. Margaret, recall, was the one who devised the plan to try to gather the Douglases and unite them into a force for the English against Scotland. The plan went terribly awry when the Douglases (including Margaret's father Angus) ended up fighting for the Scots (Pt 3, Ch II). So it is no wonder Grey has no desire to see her again. He thinks that at least he has taught her family a lesson they will not soon forget.

Gideon's wandering attention is quickened when Grey mentions that the French fleet is off Dunbar (about 28 miles east of Edinburgh) while the English fleet is still "fitting out" and probably will still be fitting out at Christmas. 

And now Christian enters, accompanied by Lord Grey's secretary Myles.

Aside: Remember him from the hilarious encounter between Lymond's Spanish captain Don Luis and Grey at Hume Castle? Myles, who does not speak Spanish very well, used the Spanish word for impregnate, causing a further uproar to an already uproarious situation!

Here we get a view of two subtle, quick minds at work, speaking in a few, guarded words right over the heads of Grey and his secretary. From the conversation, Gideon learns that Christian is a friend of Lymond and she learns that Gideon no longer views Lymond as an adversary. Gideon is also able to send Christian a message to be extremely careful and circumspect around Margaret Lennox lest she inadvertently harm Lymond by something she says or does. 

We also learn from Grey, who is totally oblivious to the layered conversation between Christian and Gideon, that Harvey has a leg wound that will prevent him from coming to Berwick and serving as bait for Lymond. 

Gideon leaves in "high good humor for no evident reason," yet anyone who has experienced the intense pleasure of a successful communication against great odds with another human being who is of like mind knows the reason for Gideon's good humor. 

Not in a good humor is Lord Grey in his interview with Margaret Lennox, which is "everything he was afraid it would be." She wants Harvey sent back to London forthwith to make sure Lymond never finds him. Margaret also delivers the news that Lymond has been caught by the Scots, which means Grey really does not need Harvey as bait any longer. Then Grey lets slip, quite innocently, the fact that Christian Stewart was with Harvey at Haddington. He even shows Margaret Christian's letter to George Douglas in which Christian lets George know his services to help Lymond are no longer needed. 

Margaret is determined to find out from Christian exactly what services she has rendered Lymond. Christian, forewarned by Gideon about Margaret's duplicity, is clever enough not to say nothing but rather to say just enough. Christian gives Margaret what she wants: a "simple explanation" for the letter to George. Whether Margaret believes that simple explanation is another matter altogether.

In the last section of the chapter we learn that Margaret Lennox has planted herself firmly in Berwick until she is sure Samuel Harvey is on his way back to London and far away from Lymond. Harvey, however, is not going anywhere. His injury is far more serious than Christian believed and may even be life threatening. Gideon learns all this from Lord Grey and then asks leave to go by his home at Flaw Valleys on the way to Newcastle. Little does Grey (or Margaret) know, nor could he (or she) imagine, who is a guest at the Somerville home at that very moment. 

Gideon arrives at Flaw Valleys on Tuesday, June 19, after Lymond has been recovering there for two weeks.

Questions

1. What does Sybilla hope to gain by shaming Will Scott? He has already betrayed her son. Why does she bother trying to get his help?
2. Other than her maternal instinct, is there any other reason Kate decides to try to patch Lymond up and treat him as a wounded creature rather than a felon?
3. Why does Lymond refuse any help or assistance even though he is profoundly injured?
4. Why is Margaret Lennox so determined to keep Lymond away from Sam Harvey?

Favorite Line

[Kate] "The air is filling in a familiar way with hideous subtleties. All right. Instinct it shall be. After all, everybody always brings the old broken-down things for me to patch up: there's nothing actually new about it."

Words that Describe Lymond in Shah Mat (he appears only briefly in this section)

• exhausted
• witty
• irrepressible
• sardonic
• self-sufficient
• broken, helpless, defeated?

Part Four. The End Game. Chapter I. Twice Taken. 1. Forced Play Against Time

Ruins of the Lymond Convent

June 1, 1548

Lymond's band is dissolved with his customary heavy handedness when it comes to this group of rogues and misfits. Realizing they will not be happy about the slaying of the golden goose, the Master has Turkey Mat hide most of the men's pay as an inducement to accept the inevitable. And, of course, Lymond is correct when he says the men could not make him stay if they tried. There is a reason beyond his title they call him "Master."

Will is unhappy on multiple fronts. He wants the band to become his, but he is smart enough to realize that is not going to happen. The dissolution means it is time for Lymond to travel to England to meet Samuel Harvey on June 2, that is, time for Will Scott to act. He has been watching messengers come and go at the Ostrich Inn for some time and knew beforehand the end of the band was nigh.

It is interesting that Lymond trusted Will to hide the gold that is the pay of the men "with special claims"--and that Lymond himself does not know where the gold is hidden. Furthermore, Lymond does not guess that Will has hidden the gold in the convent where his sister died until they have already passed it. This seems unlike Lymond, who is almost always several steps ahead of everyone, especially Will Scott. Has he actually come to trust Will? I don't think so. Has he dropped his guard? So it seems, but the question then is why? Why is he so distracted?

Lymond is in no doubt whatsoever that Will has betrayed him (and Turkey) to Andrew Hunter. Did Will figure Turkey Mat's life into his bargain with death? Will seems willing to die himself if need be, and Lymond sounds as though he means it when he says "if I were alone I'd say throw and be damned." But at the last moment, Lymond takes the offensive when Will's eyes are momentarily diverted to follow the sword that Lymond throws across the floor. And the Master would have subdued his well-trained pupil had Will not hidden a small knife on his person.

What is Will's motive for the betrayal? He tells himself repeatedly, even obsessively, it is because Lymond is a cold, calculating killer, a murderer of "girls": "Kill girls! He could kill girls..." Will seems to have a morbid fascination with Lymond's relationship with females: Christian is a "girl" Lymond has used and abused. Mariotta he mercilessly bullied and killed her child. Eloise is the sister he murdered and even now seems to feel nothing for. Even Margaret Douglas has been treated crudely and cruelly by the Master. However, I believe Lymond's analysis of Will's motives is far more incisive and does in fact lay out a true one: revenge.

"...revenge ... for every doubt and indignity and misery that Scott had suffered [at Lymond's hands]."

It is also important to remember that Will still believes Lymond is planning to sell him to the English, which is also a powerful motive for betraying the Master.

*** 

"heartsease quailed under their hoofs..."

Will does not know until Lymond is brought out of the ruins if he has killed his former leader or merely wounded him. The injury to Lymond's shoulder is not serious enough to shut Lymond's irreverent, sardonic mouth.

The contrast between Will and Lymond is stark: both are dirty and injured and disheveled, but Lymond retains his cat-like cool while Scott's every emotion plays out on his face.

I would be remiss if I did not call attention to the beautiful, expressive language of this section's penultimate paragraph, which describes the countryside and the convent, "wearing the nimbus of its injuries like a coronal," as Hunter's men take the injured Lymond and Turkey Mat away.

***

In the last chapter we found out that Lymond had been substituting his messages for Will Scott's, thanks to Sybilla's intervention. However, Will has managed to communicate on his own with Hunter (probably using the Ostrich Inn), as Sybilla learns at the convent. She sends Johnny Bullo to warn Lymond, but he is too late. Remember, however, that she has the presence of mind to tell the Ballaggan messenger to suggest Hunter take his captive to Threave castle, the home of Agnes Herries and John Maxwell, now Lord Herries. These are people who will definitely be sympathetic to Lymond and may even try to help him.

Asmodeus depicted as a goat ridden
by a witch holding her familiar (the cat)

Lymond's painful silence on the ride to Threave is broken when Dandy Hunter says something. But what does he say that sparks the reply from Lymond about not being Asmodeus, the king of the demons, most especially the demon of lust and the destroyer of marriages? Dunnett does not tell us; perhaps Hunter says something to Lymond like, "Well, the least you could do is to apologize for your horrid behavior." Doesn't that sound like something Dandy would say?

Hunter understands Lymond's classical reference, which explains why his face goes from red (angry) to white (guilty). The color drains out of his face because Lymond is implying something extremely ugly about Hunter's relationship with Mariotta. But Dandy is cool enough not to rise to Lymond's provocation. Immediately after this Lymond throws Mariotta's name out to Hunter. Once again, Lymond shows he knows there has been a relationship of some sort between Dandy and Mariotta.

Will Scott also blurts out another of his reasons for betraying the Master, that is, his conviction that Lymond was about to betray him to the English if Will didn't betray him to the Scots first. Before Lymond can reply, Turkey Mat foolishly and tragically seizes this moment to escape.

Hunter's men enjoy the chase and the kill, and Dandy is hardly bothered at all that a man is dead. He apologizes for Turkey's death to Will, not to Lymond, because he holds the Master in complete contempt. Turkey wants to know from Lymond if Scott prevented his escape, but Lymond tells him that he chose not to take the opportunity Mat gave him to break free. Turkey Mat's death is so pointless and sad it is easy to imagine how this wounds Lymond. I do not think it is giving anything away to say it will not be the last death for which he blames himself. At least Turkey dies with a "pleased look, as if a sunny beach and a flat board and a pair of celestial dice had manifested themselves among the leaves." He comes across as a man who lived his life at full tilt and died without regrets.

***

Threave Castle

Dunnett's ominous description of Threave is shockingly visceral, comparing the
stench of violence there with the powerful, feral odors of frightened, angry animals. Scott is relieved John Maxwell is away and that he and Hunter will have Lymond as their prisoner to humiliate and torment until Buccleuch arrives. However, Lymond has other plans, and quickly gets the hostile crowd on his side using his own brand of irreverent humor and wit, which is, "like Cupid, a notorious locksmith." Lymond's plan to disarm the crowd ends abruptly after ten minutes, and he goes mute. But why? We are left to wonder for now.

Peine Forte et Dure Torture

The easy laughter and enjoyment of their prisoner quickly turns very ugly in the face of his silence, leading to the horrendous scene of torture using the application of increasingly heavy weights. Dunnett describes Lymond as "capriciously vain" but not foolish, meaning he would bear the pain as long as he could but he would not purposely risk his life. At this point Will almost misses the flickering of Lymond's lashes as he briefly looks upward beyond the crowd. Will does the same, and there he sees Christian.

Now everything happens in a whirlwind. Buccleuch and his men arrive, Christian and Sym push through the crowd to confront him about his "whelp's" behavior, Christian forces her way to Lymond while Sym removes the chains weighing the Master down, and Christian confesses she knew who Lymond was all along: "I've known your voice since I was twelve." What an impression it must have made on the lass!

The yard erupts in the kind of ribald laughter Lymond has desperately tried to prevent to avoid tainting Christian by any association with him. He tries again, desperately, to dissociate himself from Christian by mocking red-headed women. By now, the captain and the crowd know their sport has ended, and Lymond is released to be taken to a "fine, dry cellar" of a prison. Before he can move from the place of his torment, and to Will Scott's surprise, Lymond faints. The way Lymond cups his face in a "gesture of half-comic resignation" shows he is in control until the last possible moment before his strength gives out, but even he has his physical limits, and this situation is too much for him.

***

Will Scott cannot make up his mind what side he wants to be on, much to the fury of his father, who never takes much to provoke him anyway. Buccleuch's solution is to stick his son in the cellar with Lymond, a rather neat punishment and one Will deserves after his betrayal. Will fights every step of the way to his prison because, as Dunnett says with her usual wit and understatement:

There is nothing very jolly about being locked in a cellar with a man whom, in every possible sense, you have just stabbed in the back.

Andrea della Robbia: The Announcing Angel

With his "very thews melted with apprehension," Will discovers Lymond at his ease, stretched out like a cat, "impeccably neat" (as always), with all that was unsightly removed from his appearance. Furthermore, his face was that of a "Della Robbia angel," something to store in the back of your mind for future reference.

And now...now Will Scott is about to have the very large and horny scales drop from his eyes in ways he never imagined or suspected. Now that all his plans have been thwarted and there is no longer any way for him to get to Samuel Harvey, Lymond at last clues Will in on what has been going on. The fact that he did not trust Will with this information before now is a measure both of Lymond's general lack of trust in others and his specific lack of trust in Will Scott, which the day's events appear to justify. You could make the case that Lymond might have avoided this fate if he had shared the truth with Will, but the Master is a great judge of character, and his judgment is that Scott is too emotional, too conflicted, too immature, and too unpredictable to be trusted with the truth.

Certainly, Will's sketch of Lymond's character in this scene supports this conclusion. What claims does Scott make?

• His father would have protected Turkey Mat.
• Lymond "hates women" in general.
• Lymond wrecked the lives of four women (Christian, Margaret, Mariotta, and Eloise).
• Lymond has hunted "poor Harvey" like a thing from beyond the grave.
• Lymond betrayed his country by selling the letters Will copied to the English.

Of course, not one of these claims contains an iota of truth, a fact that we observe as it slowly works its way into Will's consciousness. We learn, for example, that Lymond orchestrated Will's "escape" from the tower with Mariotta:

"I leave you to work out why, having seduced my sister-in-law and slaughtered my nephew, I should keep coy silence while you shuffle downstairs at three in the morning with that bantling-brained romantic done up in an oatsack."

Oops. One can only vaguely imagine how Will Scott feels by the end of this encounter, but surely even Will would agree that Lymond's description of him fits all too well:

"You pathetic, maladroit nincompoop, you're never right; but this time you can squat in your misconceptions like duck's meat in a ditch, and let them choke you."

Near the end of the section, Lymond refers to the earlier moment when, as they are leaving the Ostrich Inn after a night of madcap and riotous activity, he encourages Will to look up at the "teaching stars, beyond worship and commonplace tongues. The infinite eyes of innocence." (Pt 2, Ch I) Will was deaf to Lymond's offering that first time. Has he heard him now? Will he understand what he is being offered? Has he had a moment of epiphany and learned something about himself and, more importantly, about Lymond?

*** 

Aside: Once again, I recommend Laura Caine Ramsey's guide to The Game of Kings when reading the exchange between Lymond and Will, which is packed with allusions ranging from the Malleus Maleficarum to Norse mythology.

***

The Night of June 1, 1548

John Maxwell is a clever man. He cannot lift a finger to help Lymond and must be seen to be on Hunter and Buccleuch's side; hence the congratulatory note on Lymond's capture. Enter the redoubtable Agnes Herries, sent by her husband, "as was fitting," to see to the guests. All the guests. Watch how Agnes manipulates these men like a pro. First, she storms in at eleven at night, waking Buccleuch and demanding an explanation for Will's incarceration with the "desperate man" in the cellar. As only Agnes can, she argues and contradicts and harangues until Wat Scott gives up and agrees to let his son out of the cellar. Will is more than willing to oblige, but he does not do so quickly enough for Agnes when he sees that all his father's men have been replaced with Maxwell's. Agnes will have none of his loitering and sends him to bed with a "vigorous impatience" and a loud thud of the trap door banging shut. What the heck just happened?

***

Now we know: Agnes not only leaves the trap door unbolted, she has the utter gall to scold Will for being the one who failed to lock Lymond back in! Will cannot contradict the lady of the house, whose own men will confirm her story (of course). Furthermore, Will's father accepts Agnes Herries' version without question in part because he believes his son wanted Lymond to escape and in part because he cannot imagine Agnes would let a desperate rogue out of his prison in her own house and then lie about it. All Will can do is quietly accept the censure and try to find Lymond.

Agnes once again proves her mettle. Atta girl, Agnes!

***

June 2, 1548

At last, Sybilla and Mariotta talk to each other. It has been a long time coming and the Dowager Lady Culter is loathe to broach the subject of her son's marriage to Mariotta, but the anxiety of waiting without a word about Lymond's fate pushes Sybilla over the edge. She has clearly been wanting to say these things to her daughter-in-law and this seems like as good a time as any. At least it will divert them both!

I find it fascinating that Sybilla uses Janet and Buccleuch as an example of a marriage that works, but it makes sense. First, Mariotta knows them both well and has had ample opportunity to see Janet in action with a man far more stubborn and dense and far less sensitive and caring than Richard. Surely if Janet can manage to have so much influence on Wat Scott and "manage" him so fluently, Mariotta's task with Richard should be far easier. 

The other example--the Maxwells--shows Mariotta the opposite extreme from Janet and Wat. Janet is anything but a romantic, whereas Agnes created a fantasy that John Maxwell played into, with Lymond's help. But both Agnes and Janet share something in common: both are intensely interested in their husbands and understand what each man values and wants the most. This, Sybilla makes clear to Mariotta, is what she has not done. She really has taken little interest in Richard, has learned little of the man she married, and really does not understand what he values and wants and needs. Fortunately, Richard's mother is wise enough to tell Mariotta just enough to help her without telling her so much that she makes Mariotta want to give up.

What Sybilla says about Lymond and Richard's relationship is very, very telling:

"Your tragedy was that the man you became involved with was the very person who created the flaw in Richard's maturing. And if that was anyone's fault, it was probably mine..."

How revealing. And, at the same time, how unrevealing. There is a flaw in Richard that has hindered his growing up and Lymond was the cause. Mother (possibly) blames herself. That's all we know from what Sybilla says--not what Richard's flaw is; not what Lymond did to create it; not what Sybilla did or did not do to instigate the sibling rivalry, if that is what this is. All things to ponder and keep in mind as the future unfolds.

When Christian finally arrives at Midculter, Tom Erskine is there and about to have the shock of his life. We already know that Christian recognized Lymond from their first encounter at Boghall; now we find out that both Sybilla and Christian have been working--separately, it appears--to help Lymond. Sybilla worked out fairly early on that Christian recognized Lymond and was helping him. The "keenest ears in Scotland" belong to Christian, who was present when Lymond appeared at Monteith as the monk and told little Queen Mary the riddle, which was one invented by none other than Sybilla. Also, let us not forget that Sybilla has had contact with her younger son through intermediaries, so she most likely knew about Christian's assistance through those sources.

One of those means, in addition to Sybilla's "normal thought processes," would be Johnnie Bullo, with whom Sybilla expresses disappointment for turning out to be "rather much of an individualist," but she does not elaborate. One thing we definitely know about Johnnie is his propensity to gossip, which leaves little doubt he would have enjoyed telling Lymond's mother about what happened between her son and Christian at Boghall.

And then there is Samuel Harvey, a name mentioned not only by Christian but also by Richard and Andrew Hunter, tying all three of them to Lymond in different ways. Christian does not know the whole story of Harvey, but she knows George Douglas is involved somehow, so she is determined to see him and, "by persuasion and threats," make him help Lymond. Hmmm. How well does she know friend George? Not well, if she thinks either persuasion or threats will move him to help. George will require something that appeals to his self interest.

Tom is not so easily swayed, viewing Sybilla's attempts to help Lymond as natural maternal instinct. But Christian's behavior has him flummoxed. Why would she knowingly help this outlaw? It is left to Sybilla to explain the inexplicable to Tom, that is, Christian's own natural instincts to help a "lame duck" and right an injustice are just as strong as her maternal leanings. Sybilla points out what Tom already knows: Christian is neither someone easily gainsaid nor someone easily beguiled. Furthermore, Lymond is, according to Sybilla, an "artist in the vivesection [sic] of the soul" because he has been the one under the knife for the past five years.

Sybilla leaves Tom and Mariotta (and us) with the puzzling comment that Lymond is "probably the only person in the world now who can restore Richard to any sort of terms with his own future" and send Richard back to Mariotta. The latter claim is easily understandable because Lymond can convince Richard as no one else can of his, Lymond's, total indifference towards Mariotta. But just how Lymond can restore Richard to his future remains a mystery to be revealed.

***

Sunday, June 3

This is the day after Lymond was to meet Samuel Harvey in Wark. He arrives at Wark Castle too late. Harvey, a busy man, is gone. Gideon Somerville initially thinks Lymond's tardiness is an indication that he did not really care about the meeting and, worse, that Lymond is drunk, when in fact, he is exhausted from traveling at a breakneck speed on foot from Threave carrying with him all his injuries. Once Gideon realizes Lymond's true state, he immediately puts him to bed in good, practical Somerville fashion.

June 4

The next morning Lymond is in a far better and cleaner state and spouting all manner of obscure quotations, much to Gideon's annoyance, which leads to one of Dunnett's most cited and beloved lines:

"I wish to God," said Gideon with mild exasperation, "that you'd talk--just once--in prose like other people."

And then, amazingly, Gideon gets his wish after one more "malicious" quotation from Roger Ascham, a noted Protestant, which leads to Lymond's comment about Luther, whose views were not surprisingly deemed heretical by the Scottish Parliament. Now Gideon and Lymond have a serious, straightforward (by Lymond's standards) conversation about the potential benefits of an alliance between Scotland and England. Probably the clearest explanation of these events comes from Dunnett herself early in the book:

Henry, new King of France, ... felt his way thoughtfully towards a small cabal between himself, the Venetians and the Pope, and wondered how to induce Charles [the Holy Roman Emperor] to give up Savoy [in the Western Alps and strategically important to France as a gateway to Italy], how to evict England from Boulogne, and how best to serve his close friend and dear relative Scotland without throwing England into the arms or the lap of the [Holy Roman] Empire. (Opening Gambit)

Here's the situation in brief. The English control Boulogne in northern France just south of Calais, which is also under English control. The French want it back. Earlier in the book, Buccleuch says there is a rumor that the French and English will "promise neutrality" towards Scotland if the English agree to give up Boulogne (Pt 2, Ch 1). Now Lymond opines that France might sell out Scotland in return for the English surrender of Boulogne, even though he does not think so.

As an Englishman, Gideon is worried because Scotland keeps getting outside help from "the dregs of Europe" and attacking England by injecting these foreign fighters "into our backside." Worse, the Scottish ambassador to France, David Panter, is working for a separate peace between Scotland and the Holy Roman Emperor, something neither England nor France would like. Meanwhile behind Scotland's back, France is trying for its own separate peace with England.

Lymond points out to Gideon one of the major stumbling blocks for any peace between their two countries, that is, under Henry VIII Scotland suffered terribly and that suffering has bred a deep hatred of the English by the Scots. Nonetheless, the Scots Commissioners keep reopening talks for a marriage between England's boy king Edward and little Queen Mary whenever the country feels threatened.

The Queen Dowager of Scotland is plotting to keep the Scottish Governor Arran quiet by promising to marry her daughter Queen Mary to his son while she is simultaneously planning to bring more French into Scotland. But Lymond argues that the French are stretched too thin to effectively rule Scotland, so Scotland would be better off under France, which is separated by distance and rough waters, than under England, with which it shares a very porous border.

Edward VI of England
by William Scrots, c 1550

Lymond also alludes to the dangers of religious warfare, "the bloodiest emotion" he knows, the ultimate in the "honest emotion" of hatred that Henry VIII so effectively showed to the Scots and which they reciprocated. Despite his claim to the contrary, Lymond does offer Gideon a solution: let little Queen Mary leave Scotland and grow up in France, where there is no religious conflict; let Mary of Guise have the power in Scotland and "keep the throne warm" for her daughter; go ahead and arrange the marriage between England's Edward and Mary of Scotland so that, if both sides behave themselves, the contract will be honored when the children come of age. 

Sadly, Gideon acknowledges that this "intelligent" approach is not going to happen because the Protector's own position is "shaky" and he cannot afford to do anything to undermine his tenuous hold on power, which Lymond's plan would.

But Gideon is impressed, very impressed, by Lymond's clear, unemotional, logical understanding of the situation, which makes him curious why Lymond is not providing these insights to "his people" in Edinburgh. Gideon has figured out that the "one woman" who has caused and continues to cause Lymond trouble is Margaret Douglas. This was not hard for Somerville to discern given his interesting encounter with the Countess of Lennox in London in April (Pt 3, Ch IV). Unfortunately, injecting Margaret into the conversation causes the "barrier of nationality" to fall between them and the "shutters" that had momentarily opened close again.

Now for the interesting part: Gideon will arrange another meeting for Lymond with Samuel Harvey on his way back from Haddington. But until then, Gideon has to find a safe place for Lymond, and the only place he believes will ensure Lymond's security is the Somerville home at Flaw Valleys. Lymond experiences what is for him a very rare emotion: he is taken aback and completely perplexed by Gideon's plan. He "should dearly like to know why" Somerville not only trusts him enough to arrange another meeting with Harvey but also has enough faith in him to leave him alone with his wife and daughter in their own home.

Gideon understands his rationale no better than Lymond: it is "something that Gideon did not even know clearly himself." It seems that Lymond is not the only person who is a fine judge of character and an excellent reader of men.

Questions

1. Why does Lymond say everyone finds Dandy Hunter "irresistible"?
2. What do you think Hunter says to Lymond to provoke his response about Asmodeus?
3. According to Dunnett, Will Scott knows very well why Turkey Mat bolted. Why did he?
4. What did Johnnie Bullo do that disappointed Sybilla by showing he was "rather much of an individualist"?
5. What is the "flaw" Lymond created in Richard?
6. Why does Gideon Somerville decide on what seems to be the spur of the moment to trust Lymond enough to allow him to wait at Flaw Valleys for the meeting with Harvey?

Favorite Line

"I wish to God," said Gideon with mild exasperation, "that you'd talk--just once--in prose like other people."

Words that Describe Lymond in Forced Play Against Time

• preoccupied
• really furious (with Will)
• surprised
• sardonic
• deeply saddened
• disgusted
• disappointed
• exhausted
• worried
• resigned
• perplexed
• snide
• guilty
• passionate
• dispassionate

Part Three. The Play for Samuel Harvey. Chapter III. Mate for the Master.

Lymond and four women: Molly, Mariotta, Agnes, and Christian. Notice how he treats each of them very differently. 

1. A Bereft Knight Is Checked by His Own Side (about March 8, 1548)*

*Richard has been "seventeen days in the field." The battle with the English took place on February 21 and 1548 was a Leap Year. This may not be the exact date wrong, but it's close.

Sybilla and Christian are still with the sulky, convalescent Queen at Dumbarton when Richard finally arrives there looking to apologize to Mariotta. Sybilla is more anxious and vulnerable than we have seen her before. She knows things that Richard does not and it falls to her to deliver some very unpleasant pieces of news and point out the potential consequences of his further obsessive pursuit of Lymond.

Richard has not thought through the implications of his bringing his brother "to heel." It has not occurred to him, as it has to his mother, that his "unreasonable hatred" of Lymond brought to full blossom in Lymond's destruction will "convict Mariotta publicly of deceit." I am reminded of George Eliot's Middlemarch, when Casaubon stipulates in his will that Dorothea will lose her inheritance if she marries his cousin Ladislaw. What does this do but "publicly convict" the blameless Dorothea of an improper and dishonorable relationship with her husband's cousin? Sybilla is pointing out that this is what would happen to Mariotta as well: it would confirm in the public mind that there is an illicit relationship between her and Lymond where none in fact exists.

Sybilla now exhibits one of her few errors in reading others, an error Christian instantly detects: Sybilla offers to have Mariotta found, removed from Lymond's sphere of influence, and returned to Midculter. What she does not count on is the depth of Richard's anger, the strength of his pride, and the extent of his long-smoldering resentment of Lymond. Lymond, the irrepressible, infallible little brother with "success at the end of each of his pretty fingers" always got and still gets the love of all of Richard's women, including, most importantly, his mother.

Richard even goes so far as to claim that Lymond murdered their sister. Remember, Lymond said to Christian back at Boghall (Pt 1, Ch VII, Part 2), "If I told you that I had murdered my own sister..." First we have Lymond positing that he might have murdered his sister and now we have Richard claiming he did. This terrible scene is mercifully interrupted by two pages announcing the Queen Dowager wants to see Richard right away.

---

When Christian moves to comfort Sybilla after Richard leaves, the Dowager is described as having "pretty fingers" just like Lymond's. Hands are very important to Dunnett, who had a painter's eye for such details.

---

Mary of Guise looking none too
pleased with Richard

Richard is so thoroughly consumed with his own hurt and outrage he flouts the Queen Dowager's command that he go to Edinburgh to buck up that wobbly frog with his wits in his belly (Arran), which is all the pretext Buccleuch needs to suggest Richard be locked up. It is interesting that we do not see this remarkable scene between Mary of Guise and Richard Crawford, but instead hear it told by the always colorful Wat Scott, which greatly enhances the humor in an otherwise very tense and unhappy situation.

The question remains: why did Buccleuch want Richard out of commission at this time? Wat and Richard just recently had a huge, friendship-ending dispute when Crawford and his men showed up at Buccleuch's rendezvous with Will. Wat is not above exacting his revenge, but he also does not want Richard's obsession with Lymond once again to threaten his son and family. He sees this as a nice cooling off period for Lord Culter.

This presents Sybilla the perfect opportunity to ride south, with the Queen Dowager's permission, of course. Where and why she is going we do not yet know.

***

Meanwhile...Gideon Somerville cannot get out from under the thumb of his English overlords. This time Lord Grey wants Gideon to travel with him to London to see the Lord Protector. In the meantime, Grey has ordered the border lords to continue to harry the Scots and keep them from retaking the forts now in English hands.

***

Molly, looking as if she has been
attending decumbitures all her life.

Lymond at last returns to the Tower at Crawfordmuir to discover what "all of Scotland" already knows about Mariotta. He missed the entire drama of her arrival, subsequent miscarriage, the surgeon's visit, and Molly's nursing. Molly again proves her value as one of Lymond's spies. She tells him that Will Scott met with Andrew Hunter at the Ostrich when he came to retrieve her to attend Mariotta. Hunter stayed at the Ostrich a week "for no very good reason" and asked a lot of odd questions. Molly gives Lymond an account of Dandy and Will's conversation but, alas, we are not privy to it. All we know is that Molly believes Hunter is potentially a problem for Lymond and, thus far, Molly has never been a problem for Lymond.

***

Isn't it interesting that Lymond waits a week at the Tower before seeing Mariotta? In part it is because Mariotta is still weak and ill, but the wait only helps embellish his aura of mystery and power in Mariotta's mind. She has created a fantasy like a glowing halo around Lymond, a man she has seen exactly once. When he finally comes to her, his appearance is not as she remembers: this time he is tidy and sober. Mariotta is surprised when Lymond tells her he is sorry to learn she lost the baby, undoubtedly because in her fantasy he wants her for himself and no heir for Richard. Then she surprises Lymond by telling him she left Richard. When she tries to explain why, she finds it very difficult, except for the issue of the jewels.

But Lymond will not be put off: he wants to know exactly what Mariotta and Richard quarreled about. Although we do not hear Mariotta's recital of grievances, we can easily imagine that they are not nearly as terrible once told as they were in her imagination. They are, to use Dunnett's own characterization, an exercise in naivete from beginning to end. Lymond's words and reaction are contrasted to Mariotta's: as he speaks, his eyes are seraphic and "supremely adult." Lymond even tries to show Mariotta that he has given Richard cause to hate him and to hunt him down, such as the fire at Midculter, which she has conveniently forgotten. Add to this the jewels Mariotta told Richard came from Lymond and her own blatant infatuation with his younger brother and you have a big enough stew pot of jealousy and resentment to drive any man into a rage.

Now that he has heard her tale and knows how things lie, Lymond changes his tone and tactics with Mariotta. He assumes the cold, brutal persona of a man interested only in revenge on his brother and taking what is his, by getting rid of the heir and giving Richard grounds for divorcing Mariotta. In short, Lymond paints for Mariotta the exact picture that is in Richard's mind all the while insulting her (her brain is smaller than a chick-pea). Of course, Lymond's icy recitation of his complaints against Richard evokes from Mariotta a remarkable about-face--a wounded defense of her husband--to which Lymond responds as only he could.

He, like Christian earlier in the chapter, refers to Richard's deep interest in the welfare of his pigs: "I thought we would be shikk to shikk, indivisible, like Richard and his piglets." This makes me laugh out loud it's so funny. I can't help thinking Dunnett had "dancing cheek to cheek" in mind when she wrote this sentence. Mariotta, however, finds nothing humorous about this or anything Lymond has to say. All her pretty fantasies are dashed to bits in this one terrible interview. Which is exactly what Lymond wants to achieve.

***

---

Shikk are demons mentioned in the Arabian Nights that are half a human being, divided "longitudinally" (vertically), so when Lymond describes Richard and his piglets as "shikk to shikk," he conjures up an image of a creature that is half man and half pig.

---

***

Why Lymond's about-face with Mariotta? He starts off as Good Lymond, with care and concern, talking to her like a normal human being. Once he has heard her tale of grievances, he instantly turns into Bad Lymond: cold, calculating, cruel, vicious. Why? Because he wants Mariotta to stop viewing him as if through a hagioscope, that is, with a squinting, narrow, distorted view. He wants Mariotta to see he is not some dashing hero come to her rescue. She needs to know in no uncertain terms he has zero interest in her except as a means of hurting Richard and that his bad reputation is well deserved.

Before jumping to the conclusion that Lymond means Mariotta ill, it is best to recall he exchanged his truly valuable prisoner--Margaret Douglas--for Mariotta, who has no value to him as a hostage whatsoever, and he initiated the exchange without hesitation.

The soft-hearted Molly, of course, scolds Lymond for his performance for Mariotta. Molly, taking literally Lymond's suggestion that Mariotta would fare better sharing her grievances with Will Scott, sends Will up to sit with Mariotta that night. It's the last anyone at the Tower sees of them both, and Lymond is none too pleased that Will has taken off with his sister-in-law. At least that is how he behaves, but Molly, remember, has never caused him any problems, so one is left to wonder if this isn't another Lymond ploy.

***

Argyll pipers do get around, don't they? Remember it was an Argyll piper who played so memorably at the Ostrich when Lymond plotted with John Maxwell (Pt 2, Ch 1) Now Hunter has a "chance encounter" with him? Not likely in Dunnettdom, I'll wager. We also learn what Molly's girls overheard: Will and Hunter exchanging views on whether and how Lymond might be selling Will out to the English. Will expressed his suspicions and Dandy offered what he knows, that is, Grey wants Will, and Lymond has been seen twice near George Douglas's house.

All this Dandy is helpfully relating to Wat and Janet Scott. Now notice: Janet interjects that Dandy did not know Lymond has (or had) Mariotta. How does Janet know this? Obviously, she has been talking to Dandy before this conversation with her husband, but the circumstances of Janet and Dandy's discussion are a mystery. One thing is clear: Janet's scheming goes on. Buccleuch misses this point altogether and is just glad that Hunter is so kindly offering to help him recover his son.

***

Spring, 1548

The gateway to Holyrood, built
by James IV, 1503

The wedding of John (Jack) Maxwell and Agnes Herries, orchestrated with such care by Lymond finally takes place at Holyrood Palace, and Lymond is there to offer his congratulations and a gift.

Maxwell knows his new wife well: he introduces Lymond not by name, which he must not, but as the man who saved his life at Durisdeer. Ah, ha! Now we know a bit more about that memorable action Lymond undertook at Durisdeer, saving Maxwell from Harry Wharton's sword. What could be a more thrilling wedding gift to Agnes than to meet another real-life knight in shining armor? Maybe a brooch set with angels' heads and worth a fortune? Probably not. She has wed the hero of her dreams and met another even more dashing, mysterious hero bearing costly gifts. Quite a nice start to a marriage for a little girl with a face like melted candle wax full of teeth!

Lymond adds another feminine conquest to his supposedly long list of adoring women (according to Richard).

The brooch. In Pt 1, Ch 4, Dandy Hunter presents his mother with an hugely expensive and garish brooch with diamonds set in angels' heads and carved in onyx. This brooch certainly seems to be the same one: diamonds, angels' heads, and onyx. File this for future reference.

***

---

I recommend Laura Caine Ramsey's guide to The Game of Kings when reading the exchange between Lymond and Christian, which is packed with allusions ranging from the Old Testament to one of the first English comedies.

---

***

Christian is also at Holyrood for the wedding and has answered a summons she supposes is from Tom, who is expecting an answer regarding his offer of marriage. But it is Lymond, not Tom, who has arranged this meeting. Her reaction when she hears Lymond's voice tells us that she remains in a state of emotional and spiritual turmoil over him. Their playful verbal combat continues apace, each using a rapier wit and each in turn deflecting the other's rhetorical thrusts.

We learn that Christian knows the names of the three men Lymond has been seeking, presumably from Sybilla but possibly from other sources. She did not offer them up in the gypsy tent when she brought Lymond the news about Crouch's whereabouts, so she may have uncovered the other two names later. She is uncommonly well informed. Notice that she instantly figured out that George Douglas is Lymond's convenient intermediary in securing Samuel Harvey.

Epaminondas clutching the
javelin to his breast

Christian makes an interesting comparison between Lymond and Epaminondas, the Theban general who, according to legend, was wounded by a spear in battle. He clutched the point of the spear to his chest long enough to learn of the Theban victory against the Spartans, knowing that when the spear was removed he would die. Christian suggests that Lymond may be in part responsible for his troubles by clutching his problems to his "evil chest" like a javelin tip, but he succinctly rejects the idea that his affairs would be any better if he did not. I think this is an important insight into Lymond's character: he believes he must clutch his troubles to his evil chest and suffer the consequences. He is not being completely facetious when he tells Christian that he has been "gifted with a surfeit of Satanity," that is, he is inherently evil.

There is an abrupt shift in Lymond's tone when he addresses Christian by her name and warns that his plans may or may not turn out well. And now, here it is: the farewell. Lymond tells Christian in a way she will understand without having it spelled out for her that there is no future for them as anything but acquaintances, and that, only if all his plans go well:

"Whatever you touch will return warmth to you and whoever you share it with will be twelve feet tall like St. Christopher."

In short, Lymond is telling Christian she will not be sharing her warmth and her life with him.

Even though he hopes Christian will not regard him as insensitive, Lymond thinks it is important to state the obvious: if Christian had not been blind, she would never have had this adventure with him. Her reaction is very interesting: this experience, quite apart from making her more tolerant of her blindness has turned the years of quiet, desperate acceptance into a rage against the darkness. It has made her acutely aware of what she has missed. Of all men, only Lymond has shared the thrill of adventure with her, and then only because she could never see his face.

And now he is gone.

***

Sybilla is back, but from where? Richard has been released for the wedding festivities. Sybilla admits to Christian that she is frightened. Then she adds, "My sons sometimes seem so much stronger than I am." This is an interesting juxtaposition of thoughts. I think Sybilla is frightened by her sons' strength in part because it means she cannot influence them as she has hoped and in part because of the inherent danger in two strong men violently opposing each other. Neither will yield.

Is it also possible that Sybilla is sending Christian a subtle message about Lymond with that comment? Lymond is strong enough to walk away from "a woman ... with a familiar spirit," someone rare enough to be his match and possibly a mate for the master? I am not sure, but what we do know is that immediately after this scene, Christian accepts Tom's proposal. I think this meeting with Sybilla somehow finalizes Christian's decision to accept Tom.

Of course, Tom, as second son, is the Master of Erskine, just as John Maxwell is the Master of Maxwell. Lots of mates for Masters in this chapter.

***

Dunnett's description of Richard is another perfect example of why she is simply the best.

The third Baron Culter had the sort of pride that makes a man walk straight back to the place where he has been publicly undressed and dare the universe to look down on him.

We learn so much about Baron Culter's character from two sentences: his pride is strong enough to carry him right back into the lion's den looking all the while like an emperor instead of a victim. Just like Lymond. Dandy Hunter takes advantage of the situation by approaching the scandalized Richard and offering to broker a rapprochement between him and Buccleuch.

The deal is too tempting for Richard to refuse. Will knows Lymond is going to betray him and has sent Dandy a message saying he knows how it is to be done.

Once Richard and Wat Scott patch things up (sort of), they examine Will's message:

• Lymond plans to ride east to an unspecified location.
• At this location Lymond will secure Samuel Harvey from George Douglas and Lord Grey.
• Once Lymond gets Harvey, he will send a message to Will to join him.*
• When Will arrives, Grey will take him.
• Will proposes in his letter that when he gets the message from Lymond he will notify his father.
• Buccleuch, Culter, and their men will descend on the rendezvous spot and take Grey, Douglas, and Lymond.
• Meanwhile, Will Scott will find his own way home.

*It is not at all clear how Lymond will get a message to Will unless he takes one of his own men or perhaps Johnnie Bullo with him. However, he cannot risk letting one of his men know he is betraying Will, and Will would never respond to a message delivered by a stranger. 

The discussion now turns to the hostages that Wharton killed after Maxwell turned on the English and joined the Scots at Durisdeer. This is one of the consequences Jack Maxwell was weighing (Pt. 2, Ch. III) when deciding whether to fight on the Scottish side. This was a particularly difficult discussion between Maxwell and Lymond. It was Lymond who laid out the choice brutally and succinctly: "Save the Carlisle chickens, and you let the Stirling stables burn." At Lymond's urging, Maxwell chose to fight with the Scots and thereby win Agnes Herries (and her title and property). The price was the lives of half his hostages. An ugly choice, but it is important to recognize that Lymond wanted Maxwell to make this choice and in so doing, he condemned a number of innocent men to death. Lymond can be ruthless.

Buccleuch has the right of it: "We're seeing times ... that crack the very marrowbone of tragedy."

In the final act of the chapter, Sybilla, playing the Foolish Mother, tries one more time to get Richard to see reason regarding Lymond and Mariotta. Now we know where she went when she left the castle. She went to the convent at Culter to see Mariotta. Richard, unconsciously aping Lymond's posture when Sybilla last saw him at Midculter, does not want Mariotta back, but it does not seem he has considered the possibility that neither does his wife want him any longer.

Poor Sybilla. One son a hunted and hated outlaw wanted for a capital crime. Another son bent on capturing and/or killing his brother. A marriage between son and daughter-in-law in collapse. The loss of her first grandchild. All the calm order of her life destroyed, with only more pain and suffering on the horizon.

Questions

1. Why does Sybilla ask Christian to join her when she confronts Richard knowing he will detest airing family secrets in front of an outsider?
2. Where did Lymond get the brooch he gives to Agnes as a wedding gift?
3. Lymond encounters Molly, Mariotta, Christian, and Agnes in this chapter. Which important woman who appears in the chapter do we not see him with?
4. Why does Lymond decide not to pursue a romantic relationship with Christian?
5. By urging Maxwell to side with the Scots, Lymond directly contributes to the death of the hostages at Carlisle. Is Lymond simply heartless, as Maxwell suggests in an earlier chapter, or does he have other motives?

Favorite Line (one of the classic Lymond quotes)

"All I ask in this world," said Lymond a shade grimly, "is half an hour when I don't know what I'm doing; but no one has granted me the privilege yet."

Words that Describe Lymond in Mate for the Master

• Cold
• Cruel
• Calculating
• Unkind
• Concerned
• Solicitous
• Sardonic
• Sober
• Inquisitive
• Ruthless
• Charming
• Ingratiating
• Self-deprecating
• Playful
• Serious
• Sincere
• Honest

Part Two. The Play for Gideon Somerville. Chapter III. French Defense

A French Defense in chess is an opening move with "a reputation for solidity and resilience, though it can result in a somewhat cramped game for Black in the early stages."

Who, in this game of kings, is Black and who is White?

1. Touching and Moving (December 1547)

"Several moves" occur in apparently random sequence in the two weeks following the cattle raid, implying the sequence might not be random and the events might not be unrelated:

• Christian eludes Tom Erskine and goes to Bogle House in Stirling for Christmas.
• The Buccleuch household, including a very pregnant Janet, also make for Stirling.
• The Culters, sans Richard, go to Ballaggan to visit Lady Hunter.

The last event we see first as we are again treated to an interview with "naughty" old lady Hunter. She may be a cranky invalid absorbed in diagnosing and treating her own maladies, but she is perceptive, immediately detecting Mariotta's "condition." Mariotta takes Sybilla's advice to heart at first and keeps her mouth shut. When Sybilla responds to Lady Hunter's crude comment about the baby putting two people between Lymond and the family fortune--"I can't say I ever considered the matter in a racial light"--she is using the word "racial" in the 16th century meaning of the word as relating to family lineage. In other words, Sybilla is telling naughty old Lady Hunter that she has not given a thought to the implications the baby will have for who inherits what in the Crawford family. This is almost certainly untrue, but Sybilla would never air the family linen.

Sybilla gives as good as she gets, immediately changing the subject to Andrew Hunter's lack of a wife and to Catherine Hunter's stinky dog. It is Lady Hunter's attack on her son that drives Sybilla's words of warning right out of Mariotta's head and she speaks up in defense of Dandy. Her comments elicit a nasty retort from Lady Hunter about Richard's good fortune, and Sybilla is quick to reply with her own biting quip that it's a good thing she and Agnes Herries are also rich and beautiful or they would be highly insulted by these remarks. Of course, Agnes is only rich, not beautiful, so Sybilla's riposte is a defense of the girl, who, you might have noticed, is silent for the first time. She is bored, no doubt, but also more than a little intimidated. And, perhaps, she has learned the virtue and value of silent observation from Sybilla and Christian.

Lady Hunter's "Recipe" Book

Sybilla deftly steers the conversation to an area of Lady Hunter's liking: herself and her ailments and her cures. Sybilla is working very hard to keep Lady Hunter talking until Andrew comes home, but so far we do not know why. I love the fact that old lady Hunter gets Mariotta entangled in a discussion of the state of Midculter's linen while Sybilla is locating the "recipe" book: it is a nice allusion to "airing dirty laundry," something no one at Midculter is inclined to do. 

By the time Dandy Hunter arrives, it is too late for the Crawford party to return to Midculter and, after dinner, Mariotta finds a way to speak to him alone. From their conversation we learn that Dandy knew about the baby before Richard. So Mariotta continues to confide in a man not her husband, not only about the presents, which continue to arrive, but also about something as intimate as her pregnancy. There is no way to gloss over this: Mariotta's behavior is simply unacceptable and, if discovered, sure to drive a bigger wedge between her and Richard. Badly done, Mariotta. Badly done.

Andrew Hunter is no fool. He warns Mariotta that Richard will be furious if he finds out she has confided in someone outside the family, especially an attractive, unmarried young man. Then Mariotta betrays something else about herself when she starts talking about Lymond. She remarks on his appearance as she plays with the pearl necklace she believes is a gift from Lymond (just as she giggled when she earlier thought of him). She is still under Lymond's spell, and Dandy knows it.

Mariotta is setting herself up for a bad fall: she is infatuated with Richard's younger brother and sharing confidences with another handsome young man to whom she is attracted. At least she has the sense to see that, if she does tell Richard about the gifts, he might come out on the short end of whatever confrontation occurs as a result of this revelation. She does not seem to have a very high opinion of Richard's ability to defend himself.

Possibly the most important disclosure in this section comes from Dandy Hunter when he lays out the treasonous act and other crimes of which Lymond is accused: 

• as a spy for the English he betrayed the Scots before the battle of Solway Moss (November 1542), allegedly contributing to the catastrophic Scottish loss
• the English whisked him away to London and Calais (on the coast of France but under English control) when his perfidy was discovered
• the French caught him, but Lord Lennox arranged to have him freed
• he worked for Lennox and Wharton (on the English side and against the Scots) until they discovered he was cheating them
• he escaped and became a mercenary (on the continent) until his recent return to Scotland

Wow...Lymond has been very busy these past five years!

We still do not know why Sybilla wanted to stay at Ballaggan until Dandy arrived.

2. A Queen's Knight Fails Signally to Adjust (December 23-25, 1547)

Christian, alone at Bogle House with a letter, sitting among her thoughts "like a tiger among peahens" (great!), must have been going slowly mad waiting for someone to return and open that letter, which she thinks and hopes has further intelligence from her mystery man. Of course it does, wrapped around Maxwell's letter to Agnes in such a way as to arouse no suspicion and yet be transparent to Christian. Christian deduces from the occult message and the fact that Johnnie Bullo is now avoiding her that her part in Lymond's plans is done. He seems well on his way to finding the man he seeks.

Agnes reads the letter aloud when both Christian and Sybilla are in the room (Sybilla inquires about the identity of "Jack"). Recall that the fortune told to Agnes by Johnnie Bullo at the fair following the papingo shoot was that she would meet a thin man named Jack with a romantic smile (Pt 2, Ch I, Sec 1). It is now clear this was all part of Lymond's plan: he had Johnnie plant the idea of "Jack" (John) Maxwell in the mind of Agnes, a thirteen-year-old romantic; he wrote the love letters with hidden messages; he arranged Maxwell's triumph with the cattle raid against Lennox to gain Marie of Guise's favor; and now he is sending Maxwell to meet Agnes to seal the deal.

***

On Christmas Eve of all days, Richard takes the glove from the papingo shoot, leaves Bogle House very early without telling anyone, and goes to try to trace Lymond using the glove. Merry Christmas, Mariotta. Richard does seem a bit obtuse about his wife.

***

In fairness to Richard, his original intent was to pick up his mother's miniature from Patey Liddell, ask about the gold on the glove, and get home before Mariotta misses him. But once he learns who bought the gold from Patey, Richard does not give a second thought to riding to Perth, a nasty ride of thirty-three miles in the snow, all the while knowing Mariotta rightly expects him to attend her at her very first Christmas at Court. This is truly a foolish errand: no one knows where Richard is and he has left no word about when to expect him. Nothing short of obsession would drive a man to ride over thirty miles of rough ground in the snow on Christmas Eve to talk to a glover and maybe learn who ordered the glove. Badly done, Richard. Badly done.

All that being said, I love this section because Richard gets fully fleshed out for the first time. We learn a great deal about him. He is a very determined man who knows how to handle people and get his way while gaining their respect, trust, and friendship. He is not above making a deal with the old scoundrel Malcolm Waugh and even finds humor in the whole situation (there is "unwilling amusement in the grey eyes" and he laughs aloud despite all the discomfort and trouble of the day). It is obvious that Richard is enjoying himself when he finally tracks down Jamie Waugh and throws him into the river to sober him up.

The true measure of Richard, however, is apparent in his reaction to Lymond's little joke. His brother has made a fool of him, but he keeps his composure on display and his "bitter self-mockery" well hidden. Nonetheless, he is "only human" and, beneath his calm veneer there is deep anger at Lymond's trickery, irritation at his own credulity, and disappointment in not finding any useful intelligence through tracing the glove.

Richard is in no frame of mind to return to Stirling for the Christmas Eve court festivities. Unfortunately for him, his plan of sleeping off the ale and returning to Stirling early on Christmas morning runs afoul of an English raid. Richard Crawford spends most of Christmas Day fighting the English, so his quick morning jaunt to Patey Liddell's shop turns into a long two days of discomfort, humiliation, and combat. Merry Christmas, Richard!

Aside: The verse favored by Jamie Waugh is an anachronism. It is from Hardyknute, thought to be a very old ballad when in fact it was discovered to have been written and published in the early 18th century.   

***

In its own way, Sybilla's Christmas Day is as uncomfortable as Richard's. She finds out from Patey that Richard has gone to Perth in search of the glover. As discomfited as she is about this fact, Sybilla still has the presence of mind to notice the pale yellow gold Patey is using and the likelihood it was mined on Crawford land, meaning it is subject to a tax and legally intended only for the Mint. In short, this is illegally obtained gold. Sybilla is putting Patey on notice about the gold and Patey lets Sybilla know that he will continue to be a friend and help to the Crawfords, so their battle of wits is a draw. Sybilla leaves Patey with the warning not to let anyone else know he is the one who gave Richard the information about where to find the glover or there will be hell to pay.

***

We observe the wildly Gallic Christmas Day festivities, so beautifully described by Dunnett, from Sybilla's point of view as she watches her "flock," in particular Agnes Herries, who has been improving under the careful tutelage of Sybilla and Christian and from the beneficial effects of Maxwell's love letters. "Jack" Maxwell finally makes his appearance before the dazzled gaze of Agnes as Sybilla watches with grandmotherly concern and excitement.

Tom Erskine finally catches up with Christian. What does he want to talk to her about?

***

Agnes Disappears up the
Turnpike Stair Followed by "Jack"

This is the first time Agnes has ever seen Maxwell, and the impression he makes is perfect. Too perfect. This has to be a scene planned by Lymond, from the comment about Abbey Craig speaking to Dumyat (a reference to the difference in their heights), and Maxwell gracefully lifting little Agnes off her feet, to the rose in the snow from his home at Threave Castle. Maxwell even refers to himself as "Jack" to complete the seduction. Agnes's heart is completely his. And there is the exquisite irony of her comment to Maxwell--"I think you are as handsome as your letters"--because we know who wrote them (someone who is more handsome than his letters).

***

Richard and Three Women

The "bloodhound" finally makes it back to Stirling, dirty and tired and disgusted mainly with himself and his fool's errand. This is how Mariotta finds him and the exchange does not go well. Richard makes his first mistake by not telling his wife about the trip to find the glover, instead using the battle with the English as his excuse for being absent. When pressed, Richard tells the truth about the wild-goose chase. Mariotta reasonably suggests he might have told her where he was going and perhaps even talked it over first. Richard's second mistake, and it's a doozy, is his response to this suggestion: "Oh?...Who with?" Oh, Richard, really? He fully deserves Mariotta's uncharacteristically biting response. Both of them have a lot of learning to do if this marriage is going to survive.

Richard's next interview is with the Queen Dowager, who listens to his account of the battle, asks some pointed questions, and chastises him for leaving Mariotta unattended at the Christmas Court. His absence has been noted.

Then he is waylaid by yet another woman, this time Janet Beaton, who again has surreptitiously garnered news for Richard. Richard, ever the upright fellow, stops her from sharing the contents of Wat's letter because he knows it is a betrayal. However, the "serene" Lady Buccleuch thinks she knows what is best for her husband, so Richard learns of the planned rendevouz in February.

Why does Janet tell Richard about Wat's upcoming meeting with Will? Janet wants to protect all things Buccleuch, and she will do pretty much anything to further that end. She knows Richard wants Lymond, preferably dead, which suits her just fine because, as she pointed out earlier, that is the best thing for Will's future. With Lymond out of the way, Will no longer has a mentor to follow and it will be easier to spin a tale of how Buccleuch's heir was a trusting innocent mislead by an outlaw and scoundrel.

Finally, Janet proves her mettle yet again when she tells Richard she will let Buccleuch know that she was the source of Richard's information. It will do Wat Scott good to have an old-fashioned row with the missus rather than "mincing away" with his son's contradictory and convoluted moralizing.

3. Another Royal Lady Enters the Game

Warkworth Castle

The Lord Protector, facing trouble in England, needs a success in Scotland and has a plan for such: 1. destroy the uncooperative House of Buccleuch; 2. destroy the wavering House of Douglas; 3. burn Scotland "up to the eyebrows"; and 4. capture the little queen and raise her in England as the future bride of King Edward VI.

Lord Grey of Wilton (late of the Humiliation at Hume), is still running the show on the border and has gathered the Lords Wardens to lay out the plan. Into this stew comes Gideon Somerville, who finds himself in a decidedly unsavory spot because of Grey's command that he give George Douglas's letter to the mysterious outlaw Gideon now knows to be Crawford of Lymond. Gideon relates the details of his encounter with Lymond and includes every detail except the single most important one: Lymond's identity. Gideon wants to extricate himself from this intrigue as quickly as possible.

Grey has many competing problems, not the least of which is Lord Lennox's ego. Lennox, married to Henry VIII's niece Margaret, has to be given a prominent command but, as Wharton so aptly if crudely puts it, Lennox is "an interfering fool." The trick will be to give Lennox a command that looks and sounds impressive but in which he can do no damage.

***

Almost on cue enters none other than Lennox's wife, Margaret Douglas, the Countess of Lennox. Who is she?

• Her father is Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus (Scottish).
• Her uncle was Henry VIII of England.
• Her mother was Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's elder sister, who was also widow of James IV of Scotland.
• Her husband is Matthew Stewart, 4th Earl of Lennox. Lennox spent most of his early life in France and returned to Scotland with the promise of marriage to the Queen Dowager (Mary of Guise), which did not happen. He deserted the Scottish cause and threw his lot in with the English, after which Henry VIII gave him his niece Margaret Douglas's hand in marriage. 
• George Douglas, brother of Archibald, is another uncle.
• She is 32 years old.

Margaret is the "Pearl of Pearls" Lymond alludes to in Pt 1, Ch I, someone he knows well and, it seems, recalls without fondness. She is a force to be reckoned with as we soon see: "Lennox might be a bad tactician, but his wife was not."

The situation into which she walks is this: Grey is friends with her uncle George Douglas and has made private pledges of immunity to him, but those promises are endangered by the fact the Douglases have been playing both sides, English and Scottish, in this dangerous game. Wharton is fed up with the Douglases and wants them punished now. The weather is mitigating against all three English armies invading at once, so the plan is for Grey's men to attack Buccleuch while Wharton goes after the Douglases. The plan to march to Haddington south of Edinburgh must be deferred until the weather improves.

Margaret, however, offers them a new plan, bold, practical, and formidable. What that plan is we are not as yet privy to, but it must be a good one if these bold, practical, and formidable men are willing to go along with it.

***

John Maxwell reports to Lymond of his initial success with Agnes Herries. It is interesting that Lymond is the one who told Maxwell that Agnes will make an excellent wife. How does Lymond know this? From his mother and Christian, of course, who have been delicately grooming Agnes, who has wit and native intelligence enough to overcome the awkwardness of her tender years.

But now Lymond has a much more difficult and painful bargain for Maxwell: attack Wharton and win the favor of the Queen Dowager, but at the price of his hostages in the hands of the English. Maxwell does not like this plan at all, but he does not say he is against it. As Lymond points out, the safety and perhaps the survival of Scotland hangs on what Maxwell does or does not do to stop Wharton. Lymond also tells John that he has other means of passing messages and no longer needs his love letters to Agnes. What are those means? As of yet, we do not know.

And now for the passing bit of news that brings the figurative roof down around Francis Crawford: "a niece by marriage." This is all Lymond needs to hear to set his antennae trembling. Will Scott sees the momentary change of expression in the usually inscrutable face: it is there, and then it is gone like the brush of a butterfly wing against a cheek. But it tells Will that something very dire and very dear has reached the Master's ears. Margaret's plan is to try to gather the Douglases and unite them into a force for the English against Scotland.

Margaret is heading to Drumlanrig. Drumlanrig is where Richard Crawford and Agnes Herries ended up after their tumble into the Nith and where Richard overheard the discussion between George Douglas and Andrew Hunter about the prisoner exchange involving Jonathan Crouch.

Drumlanrig is the home of James Douglas, who is John Maxwell's uncle and George Douglas's brother-in-law. Remember: Margaret's father is Archibald Douglas (the Earl of Angus), who is also John Maxwell's brother-in-law because he is married to Maxwell's sister, making Margaret Douglas John Maxwell's "niece by marriage." Confused yet? The point to remember is that Margaret is a Douglas by birth and John Maxwell is closely connected to the Douglases by marriage. This is why Lymond's "courting" of Maxwell is both so important and so dangerous. John Maxwell is involved in a very risky gamble.

Before he leaves, Maxwell lets Lymond know with a subtlety worthy of Francis Crawford that he appreciates his facility with Latin in the letters but his use of French is almost over the top and over the line...but not quite. Maxwell rewards Lymond with a rare smile and Lymond rewards Will Scott with "his old age," i.e., a hostage to replace him:

My brilliant devil, my imitation queen; my past, my future, my hope of heaven and my knowledge of hell...Margaret, Countess of Lennox.

Questions

1. Why is Christian Stewart avoiding Tom Erskine? 
2. Why does Sybilla want to remain at Ballaggan until Andrew Hunter comes home?
3. Is Christian disappointed or relieved (or both) that her role in Lymond's cause now appears to be over?
4. Why would Mariotta and perhaps Sybilla be surprised to hear that Richard can hold his liquor like a fisherman?
5. What does Margaret Douglas want?
6. Would Lymond have used Will as his hostage had Margaret Douglas not become "available"?

Favorite Line

But this time, something new filled the blue eyes; and Scott, sitting forgotten, saw it, and his breathing stopped.

Words that Describe Lymond in French Defense

• ruthless
• driven
• conniving
• callous
• surprised
• exhilarated